Last night, on the Mark Levin show, Sarah Palin made official what almost everybody believed was already the case: she will not be the Republican nominee in 2012. In her letter to supporters, Palin wrote: “I believe that at this time I can be more effective in a decisive role to help elect other true public servants to office – from the nation’s governors to congressional seats and the Presidency.” This is a mature and true insight on Palin’s part. She is a tremendous political talent and brings a much-needed voice and energy to the Republican Party. But, as she proved by resigning as governor of Alaska, governing is just not where her talents are best used.
So where are populist Tea Party-sympathizing conservatives supposed to go? The current Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney is a banker-turned politician, who is the spitting image of the Republican establishment. The Republican office holders with the best chance of appealing to populists, Harley-riding Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, Medicare-reforming House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, and straight-talking New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have all declined to run. The Republican office holders who have entered the race, including former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, and Rep. Michele Bachmann, R.-Minn., have, for varying reasons, failed to capture conservative populist imagination at any enduring level.
In 2008, a surging Democratic Party appeared to be cruising to a White House victory after winning the 2006 mid-terms in a landslide when it found the dream candidate in then-Sen. Barack Obama. The combination of his thin record and rhetorical skills allowed every faction of the Democratic Party to believe that no matter what Obama actually said, or did, deep down he shared their world view. He became the vessel for the Left’s hopes.
That probably will not happen for Republicans in 2012, as none of the current contenders display anything like Obama’s 2008 party unifying prowess. If Romney should now go forward to the nomination, ambivalence will likely prove to be his greatest opponent. And maybe that is a healthy thing for the conservative movement. Since few would be invested in Romney as a personality, conservative Republicans in Congress might be more willing to challenge him when he inevitably begins acting like an Establishment GOP incumbent more interested in re-election than reforming the government. In short, it won’t be a repeat of Bush-GOP Congress circa 2001-2006 when the GOP majority continually rolled over for the big-spending president.
Around the Bigs
The Washington Examiner, Senate Dems propose surcharge on millionaires: After failing to secure 50 votes for Obama’s second stimulus in their own caucus, Senate Democrats proposed a 5% surtax on all households earning more than $1 million a year.
The Wall Street Journal, U.S. Funds Targeted for Small Business Instead Used by Banks to Repay TARP: Community banks have used $4 billion in federal Small Business Lending Funds to pay back their TARP bailout debts. The small business fund was supposed to encourage small banks to lend to small businesses.
CNN, Citi hikes fees on checking accounts: Citibank became the latest bank to announce it will be charging customer’s more thanks to the Durbin Amemdment of te Dodd-Frank bill. Starting in December, customers who hold its mid-level Citibank Account will be charged $20 a month if they fail to maintain a minimum balance of $15,000 in their combined accounts. Customers who have an EZ Checking account will start being charged $15 a month if they don’t carry a minimum balance of $6,000. And customers with a Basic Banking account will be charged $10 unless they maintain a minimum balance of $1,500.
The New York Times, Green Jobs Training Program Falls Short, Should Return Funds: A report released yesterday by the Labor Department Inspector General concludes that a $500 million green job training program funded by Obama’s first stimulus has failed, and that the Department should return the unspent money to the Treasury.
The Washington Post, Occupy Wall Street protests ramp up in New York, elsewhere: The Occupy Wall Street movement is planning a concert and rally today in Washington, DC at Freedom Plaza. Organizers claim the event will “NONVIOLENTLY resist the corporate machine by occupying Freedom Plaza to demand that America’s resources be invested in human needs and environmental protection instead of war and exploitation.”
The Hill, White House defends Holder amid Fast and Furious accusations: White House press secretary Jay Carney repeatedly insisted that Attorney General Eric Holder has been “consistent and truthful” in his testimony to Congress about the Operation Fast and Furious that oversaw the sale of thousands of firearms to Mexican drug cartels.
The New York Times, Budget Presses Obama Aide Into Political Fight: The Times says Obama appointed Chief of Staff William Daley to be Tom Hagen but he has had to be Sonny Corleone instead.
Campaign 2012
Perry: Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s campaign told reporters yesterday that they will report raising at least $17 million in the third fundraising quarter of this year. The Boston Globe reported last week that Romney’s campaign expects to raise somewhere between $11 and $13 million this quarter.
Righty Playbook
The Examiner‘s Tim Carney looks at some federal programs that will put Republicans’ free market ideas to the test.
George Will explains how Elizabeth Warren twists the social contract to support an unlimited state.
The Weekly Standard‘s Mark Hemingway provides evidence that CBS News is silencing their best reporter on the Fast and Furious investigation.
Lefty Playbook
Digby looks back at Rick Santelli’s CNBC rant and concludes that the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street movements are polar opposites.
Russ Feingold tells The Washington Post‘s Greg Sargent why he supports the Occupy Wall Street movement: “The worm is finally turning on the nonsense of blaming the wrong people for what happened in 2008. The American people are saying, wait, we have the boot of corporations on our necks, and we’re sick of it. This is a significantly coherent message at the beginning of something like this.”
Firedoglake‘s David Dayen describes Occupy Wall Street as “broadening the voice of a longstanding movement of bank accountability.”
